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Marcus Vandez
"This is for Ma"-Marcus to John Ruth during the Belton Massacre (1874) Marcus Vandez was a member of the Cartwright gang and coal tycoon who roamed the SouthEast from 1873-1907. Marcus was also the author of "The Cartwright Gang" an autobiographical work that depicts his life as an outlaw. Early Life- Marcus Vandez was born to a single parent household on September 16th, 1855. His mother (Eliza Vandez) moved from sharecropper farm to sharecropper farm until she gained a loan to purchase their own small ranch north of Austin Texas in 1860. Marcus grew up raising cattle and reading, the latter of which became a hobby that he would be teased for later in life. The Vandez Ranch almost never broke even, causing Marcus's mother to go further in debt. "She always thought if we worked hard enough we could pay back our debts and start actually living; not under the boot of some bank or the government." -"The Cartwright Gang" 1905 Death Of His Mother- On January 27th, 1873, a group of debt collectors including John Ruth (Who Marcus did not know at the time), came to the Vandez Ranch in search of $7.000 worth of payment. When Marcus's mother refused, saying they didn't have anything to give. The collectors got violent which eventually led to Marcus being tackled and watching his mother be beaten and eventually shot and killed. The Debt Collectors told Marcus his mother's debt fell to him, and they would be back in 3 months time. Leaving the Ranch- Instead of staying and facing the Debtors again, Marcus buried his mother then quickly left for Austin. Marcus then lived on the streets of Austin, sleeping in alleyways and sneaking into the Library to read. One day, while making his way to a saloon, he saw a newspaper that said a group of train robbers made off with $5.000. This gave Marcus the idea to turn towards a life of crime to pay off his debts and honor his mother by returning to a simple rancher life. "Now, I didn’t know anything about robbing trains, but I figured if trains had $5,000, then maybe those fancy stagecoaches I always see riding around could have 500. It would be a start." -"The Cartwright Gang" 1905 A few days later, while walking the outskirts of the city at night, Marcus saw the lights of a stagecoach. Only armed with a Cattleman, Marcus ran up to the Stagecoach and pointed it at the driver. The Driver, unamused, simply grabbed his shotgun and aimed it at Marcus. The standoff lasted only a few seconds before the driver was shot in the head by Ethan Cartwright, Leader of the Cartwright Gang, who had been stalking the stagecoach for some time. Marcus was then quickly tackled by a large man who was associated with Ethan. The two outlaws began questioning Marcus on what he was doing until a passenger stepped out of the Stagecoach and shot the man on top of Marcus. Only to be quickly shot in the head by Ethan. Marcus got up and the two began questioning one another. Ethan eventually found out about Marcus's situation and gave him a cut of the take. But before Ethan could ride off Marcus stopped him and asked if he had a place Marcus could stay, perhaps even join. Reluctantly Ethan allowed Marcus to follow him into thier camp. Life in the Cartwright Gang- It took some time for Marcus to adjust to life within the gang, being associated with Outlaws like Mathew Johnson, Abigale Riley, and Filis Cast. Marcus showed proficiently with a knife and Repeater, the former of which caused division within the gang due to the brutal nature of his kills. This was why Marcus quickly became the gangs go to Torture expert. It is unknown if he learned these skills while working on the ranch, or if they were learned with the gang. The specifics of his exploits with the gang from 1873-1884 are somewhat unknown besides a few well-documented cases. Tumbleweed Shootout (August 6th 1873)- Marcus, Ethan, and Abigale stole wagons full of lumber and tools. Upon reaching the town of Tumbleweed, a shootout occurred between them and law enforcement resulting in a standoff with the gang positioned on top of the saloon. The gang was able to escape by tossing dynamite they stole from the wagons into the town square, causing a diversion. John Ruth & the Siege of Armadillo (May 7th 1873)- While at a saloon in Blackwater, a man named John Ruth approached Ethan with the opportunity to take the town of Armadillo's entire gold supply. Intrigued, Ethan agreed and the gang along with Ruth rode to armadillo. They were able to take the small town with relative ease, But federal forces soon showed up and a shootout commenced. The gang escaped with only a fraction of the proposed take, but it was enough to allow John into the gang. Belton Massacre (May 25th 1874)- Sometime between the Siege of Armadillo and the Belton Massacre, Marcus learned of Johns involvement in his mother's death. Marcus attempted to kill John, causing him to flee and take a considerable amount of the gang's money with him. This caused the gang to hunt for John Ruth throughout the West. Eventually ending in the town of Belton Texas, where John was arrested for horse theft. The gang, along with locals stormed the jailhouse and executed John (as well as all other prisoners). This was a major event that changed the town of Belton from a lawless western town into an authoritative police state for years to come. 1874-1884- Very little is known about the cartwright gang during this time. It is safe to assume that Marcus stayed with the gang till 1884, as he didn't leave for New York till the summer of that year. In his book "The Cartwright Gang" ''Marcus makes multiple mentions of the father-son relationship he had with Ethan Cartwright. ''"Ethan would take care of me, give me someone to talk to, and made sure I was mentally well. He filled the role I didn't know was absent. He was a father to me. Even though I never grew too close with the others, I could always rely on him. And for that, I could neer repay."-"The Cartwright Gang" 1905 The Luciano Crime Family- In the summer of 1884, Marcus left to New York. He quickly joined the Luciano Crime Family where he worked as an enforcer and possibly as an intelligence gatherer. He was never made, as his ancestry was uncertain. Marcus left in 1895 when he received a note from who he believed to be his real father. Reuniting the Cartwright Gang- In help with finding his father, Marcus sought Ethan. When he was unable to find him alone, he hired fellow former Cartwright member Mathew Johnson, who was working as a bounty hunter at the time. After almost a year of tracking, they found Ethan, Who was living alone by a river. Ethan told Marcus the full story of how the gang broke up, and in exchange for joining a new "Cartwright Gang", He would help Marcus look for his father. The search for Marcus's father- The search took the new Cartwright gang across the SouthEast United States recruiting new members along the way. Including Jacob Wallice, who would become a close friend to Marcus. It's unknown where the gang went exactly, as Marcus does not elaborate much on this portion of his life, hinting at regret. But it is known they spent a considerable amount of time in Saint-Denis. It culminated in a shootout with the foremen at the Annesburg mines (1897). After the fight was won and before authorities could arrive, Ethan let slip that he wrote the letter and this was a wild goose chase. This erupted a massive argument that eventually led to a small shootout. The gang split up shortly after, leaving Marcus and Jacob stranded in Annesburg. Vandez Mining.Inc Stuck in Annesburg with no money, Marcus filled the power vacuum he created in Annesburg mines, renaming it to Vandez Mining.Inc and used his mob connections to funnel illegal supplies up and down the East Coast. Marcus made Jacob his right-hand man and the two became very wealthy. By 1899 however, Marcus's disregard for employee safety and lax payments caused strikes and the threat of unionization. Marcus hired Strikebreakers to deter his employes. One of which was no other than Ethan Cartwright (under a pseudonym and using a mask to conceal his identity). Ethan worked with Marcus until they were alone in the mines, in which Ethan then unmasked himself and proposed to Marcus a simple life, where they could live as father and son with the money Ethan stored away years ago during the Cartwright gang's heyday. Marcus, still mad at Ethan declined the offer, and an argument ensued. Soon after Jacob entered and the argument turned into a standoff within the mine. The tension finally broke when explosives planted by the strikers blew up and the three began fighting while escaping the mine. The 3-way fight between Marcus and Jacob, Ethan, and the strikers ended in the Vandez Mining.Inc main offices catching fire and destroying all of Marcus's money and the coal empire he built. The Saint-Denis murders- While never proven, It is speculated that Marcus was at least involved (if not the major perpetrator) in a series of 7 murders of Saint-Denis politicians and aristocrats immediately following the Annesburg fire. It is speculated because of the unique way the victims were killed, a stabbing method only known to be used by Marcus. And the fact that even though each of the victim's houses/offices were ransacked, only documents where taken. Documents that friends of the victims would later testify, colluded Marcus into dealings with the mob. Sherrif of Armadillo- After the fire, Marcus wondered the countryside penniless once more and grew an addiction to alcohol. "...I was poor and desperate once more, my only solace was found at the bottom of a bottle"-"The Cartwright Gang" 1905 Eventually, Marcus found his way back to Armadillo. As a way to pay back his debts to the town, he began helping the locals with bandit problems and by 1903 became the town sheriff. In 1905 he wrote ''"The Cartwright Gang" ''an autobiographical work that depicts his life as an outlaw. which became a best seller back east. Due to a publishing issue however, Marcus received no royalties. In early 1907, Marcus met Glenn O'Leary. A former member of the O'Driscal gang who like Marcus sought to pay his debts. The two fought together in the 2nd Seige of Armadillo against the Del Lobo gang. After which Glenn was formally deputized by Marcus. Death- The two continued to fight the Del Lobo until November 27th that year, when the pair descended into the surrounding canyons in an attempt to destroy a local Del Lobo hideout. Both Marcus and Glenn parished in the firefight. The Del Lobos, after sustaining heavy casualties, moved out of the canyon and headed west towards Tumbleweed. Days later citizens of Armadillo found the bodies of both Marcus Vandez and Gleen O'Leary next to each other against a rock, with multiple bullet wounds and guns still in hand. Marcus and Glenn were buried outside Armadillo on December 6th 1907.